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Breast cancer

Discussion in 'All Categories' started by Sudeeptha - Jul 21st, 2024 6:44 pm.
Sudeeptha	I have breast cancer. Are there different approaches to surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy?
re: Breast cancer by Dr. B. S. Bhalla - Jul 21st, 2024 6:46 pm #1
Dr. B. S. Bhalla	There are several approaches to treating breast cancer, and the choice of treatment often depends on the type and stage of the cancer, as well as individual patient factors. Here are the main treatment options: Surgery Lumpectomy: Removal of the tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissue. Mastectomy: Removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Sentinel Node Biopsy: Removal of a few lymph nodes to check for cancer spread. Axillary Lymph Node Dissection: Removal of multiple lymph nodes if cancer is found in the sentinel nodes. Chemotherapy Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Given before surgery to shrink tumors. Adjuvant Chemotherapy: Given after surgery to kill remaining cancer cells. Systemic Chemotherapy: Uses drugs that travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Radiation Therapy External Beam Radiation: Most common type, using a machine to direct radiation at the cancer. Brachytherapy: Internal radiation, where radioactive seeds are placed inside or near the tumor. Hormone (Endocrine) Therapy Tamoxifen: Often used for premenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Aromatase Inhibitors: For postmenopausal women, to lower estrogen levels. Ovarian Suppression: For premenopausal women, to stop the ovaries from making estrogen. Targeted Therapy HER2-Targeted Therapies: For cancers that have high levels of HER2 protein (e.g., trastuzumab, pertuzumab). CDK4/6 Inhibitors: For hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer (e.g., palbociclib). PARP Inhibitors: For BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation-positive breast cancer (e.g., olaparib). Immunotherapy Checkpoint Inhibitors: For certain types of breast cancer, helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells (e.g., pembrolizumab). Clinical Trials Experimental Treatments: Participation in clinical trials for new therapies. Personalized Medicine Genomic Testing: Tests like Oncotype DX to predict the likelihood of benefit from chemotherapy and the risk of recurrence.